Coronary artery, one of two blood vessels that branch from the aorta close to its point of departure from the heart and carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Both arteries supply blood to the walls of both lower chambers (ventricles) and to the partition between the chambers. The right coronary artery supplies blood to the right upper chamber (atrium), while the left supplies the left atrium. Blockage of any branch of the coronary arteries causes death of a portion of the heart tissue when it is deprived of oxygen-rich blood (seecoronary heart disease).

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disease characterized by an inadequate supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle (myocardium) because of narrowing or blocking of a coronary artery by fatty plaques (see atherosclerosis). If the oxygen depletion is extreme, the effect may be a myocardial infarction (heart attack). If the...

in cardiovascular disease

The term coronary artery disease describes the diseases that lead to obstruction of the flow of blood in the vessels that supply the heart. These diseases can occur in other arteries as well. Coronary artery disease is commonly used as a synonym for the more specific condition of atheromatous intrusion into the artery lumen (cavity). Coronary heart disease...

The coronary arteries may arise abnormally from a pulmonary artery rather than from the aorta, with the result that deoxygenated blood instead of oxygenated blood flows through the heart muscle. Abnormal openings, called coronary arterial venous fistulas, may be present between the coronary arteries and the chambers of the heart. One or more of the three main coronary arteries may be absent....